Big wave surfer, Keala Kennelly has touched heights in the sport of surfing. In 2013, she was inducted into the Surfing Walk of Fame in Huntington Beach, as Woman of The Year. However, the following year didn’t pose as pleasant. Kennelly witnessed a horrific wipeout during a tow-in session in Teahupo’o, Tahiti. The incident took place at the 2011 Billabong Pro Tahiti, whilst the Andy Irons memorial paddle out. 

An interview on YouTube from 2015 depicted the spine-chilling moment, while she narrated her traumatic experience. The intense injuries left her shaken and battling depression. Here’s how she remembers it. 

Keala Kennelly’s worst nightmare came to reality in 2011

As the source revealed, the 44-year-old star returned to Tahiti 2 years after the incident. She described her awful experience in detailed bits. “I just felt the lip thump my head…It flip me like upside down…it happened so fast as I flipped around, I was just processing what I’d done wrong and right then I felt this super impact,” she spoke.

Kennelly hit the reef after barreling into a mighty wave. After reaching the surface level she assessed her injury with her hand, saying “I pulled my hand away and there’s blood bath everywhere… so I was like okay this isn’t good.”

“Intense intense pain in my face followed my head,” the 5’6” athlete added. Her hemifacial region, above the eye, was wide open, drained in blood. She also suffered a skull wound. Hence, the Hawaiian surfer was rushed to a major hospital in Papeete. “The Doctors were horrified,” she explained. Initially, Kennelly wasn’t aware of the severity of her wound, until one of the medics showed her a picture. 

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Reportedly, it felt as if “somebody poured gasoline and set me on fire, such intense pain,” she admitted. An urgent surgery was mediated to remove bits of coral sunk into the wound. Forty stitches, 30 up front and 10 in the skull, later, she was good to go. Unfortunately, her nerves were affected by the impact which made her wounded region even more sensitive. She even suffered from PTSD later on. The injuries were the primary reason for her retreat from the sport. 

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Keala Kennelly announced her retirement from pro-competing

In a social media update on 25th January, 2023, Kennelly broke the news of her retirement to her fans. The post came days after competing at the 2023 Eddie Aikau Big-Wave Invitational. Therefore, attaching a few glimpses from her last session, she put in a moving caption. “Being able to participate in the @theeddieaikau invitational was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” the note read.

“Despite feeling a lack of confidence because of not being able to surf up to my level post injuries and surgery, I sucked it up and gave it my all #fullsend,” she wrote. Furthermore, the surfer signed off by saying that this was probably her “last great #send” her body could take. 

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Interestingly, the Kauai native was awarded the Pure Scot Barrel of the Year Award at the XXL Big Wave Awards for getting barreled at Teahupoo, Tahiti. Her athletic career has been nothing short of a legendary one and the community shall cherish her contributions eternally.